The Photographer
by fixations
Summary: Sakura/Kakashi/Sukea A re-imagined version of the events that took place in episode 469. After the war and right before Sakura's 21st birthday, the gang decides to take part in one of their favorite childhood pastimes and a mysterious stranger offers his assistance. "Being a traveling photographer sounds like a pretty lonely lifestyle and it sounds like you can use some friends…"
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Episode 469 was the real kick in the pants I needed to get back on fanfics I mean, WOW. I saw the drawings but in animation it was almost tooo much for me to handle. So I'm taking out all this pent up sexual frustration on writing this fanfic and I'll be getting back to my other one this week! This will be a short one, probably only 3 or 4 chapters long? I hope you enjoy!**_

* * *

"You know what we haven't tried in a while?" Naruto asked Sakura and Sasuke at Ichiraku ramen. The pair shook their heads. "Tried to peek under Kakashi's mask!"

"Naruto… We're not 12 year olds anymore! It was fun when we were kids but c'mon!" Sakura replied.

"I think it sounds like a good way to measure our abilities. We couldn't do it as kids but surely we can do it easily now." Sasuke said in agreement with Naruto. "Yeah, yeah! But we gotta be sneaky. Brute force is no fun," Naruto said. Sasuke agreed. "You two… Okay… Fine. I'm in.," Sakura sighed, feeling inwardly excited that the chances of seeing his face this time around were exponentially higher than when they were children.

After Naruto and Sasuke emptied several bowls of ramen out of competition with each other and Sakura emptied her wallet for their meals they left Ichiraku's still discussing clever plots to see their former teacher's face.

"I think I can help you three…" said a voice a few feet before them. The team stopped in their tracks to see a tall man they had never seen before. Tall, brown wavy hair, striking grey eyes made more pronounced purple markings, and a small mole on the left side of his chin.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked defensively. "Yeah, I've never seen you around here before…" Naruto chimed in with an air of suspicion.

"My name is Sukea. I'm former ANBU, current photographer… I've been traveling for a while and decided maybe the best scoop might be right here in my own hometown. And after hearing you three talking about Kakashi Hatake I figured this might be it," he said.

"I guess there really hasn't been much hard hitting news since the war ended, huh?" Sakura said.

"It's true. There's not much out there for a guy like me in my profession. Our peaceful country has truly brought me to financial ruin." he said bashfully. Sakura laughed but the Naruto and Sasuke remained suspicious.

"What makes you think we need a fourth man on our team?" Sasuke asked.

Sukea shrugged, "I just thought it would be nice to help each other out. This could really bring in a sizable amount of money and lord knows I need it. Plus, I was in ANBU so I do have a background in infiltrating."

Naruto thought for a moment, "Ok! You're in!"

Sukea smiled gratefully. "Thank you. Now let me tell you my first plan…"

* * *

Sasuke was struggling with the lock of Konoha's vault of sensitive documents. Having been a rogue ninja for so long he didn't fuss around with locks when breaking and entering, instead opting for flashy displays of strength and power. But here he had to be more careful, after all he was a good guy now. Naruto pushed Sasuke over, "Lemme give it a try!" Sasuke glared at him, forever in competition with his friend. After a few moments of struggle with lock picking Sukea spoke up.

"Cant we switch?"

Nartuo got up and left him to it but not before bumbling something about how well made locks are nowadays. Sakura watched Sukea pick the lock with great finesse and great speed and they were finally in.

It took them a while but Sukea finally found it: Kakashi's registration photo which by law required to show the face in it's entirety. And just as the face was about to be revealed, the guards came rushing in.

* * *

"Sukea-san, that was probably the closest we got to seeing his face so maybe you should stick around." said Sakura.

"Yeah! We need you now!" said Naruto.

"He didn't even complete the mission. We probably would've been fine on our own," said Sasuke in a smug tone.

Sukea smiled shyly, "Well, how about I treat you three to some dumplings then. I feel pretty bad that this plan didn't work…"

"Nonsense," Sakura said, "You were the one who had the plan in the first place! And even if it was our idea, you found the file faster than any of us could. And the way you picked that lock so quickly! It almost went super well because of you" she paused,"Plus, you said yesterday you were having financial troubles so let me treat you to dumplings instead," she offered.

Sukea smiled, "A starving artist can't say no to free food!"

Over dumplings the four talked, going over the details of Sukea's background. "So you're originally from Konoha? Why haven't I seen you around at all?" Sakura asked.

"Well, after I retired from ANBU I chose to follow my passion so I went around and followed the news. Mostly documenting the effects the war was having on smaller countries. Just trying to get the word out, I guess…" he replied.

"That's very admirable, Sukea-san," Sakura said.

Sukea laughed shyly, "I'm embarrassed to say but I'm already quite aware of who you three are. You, Sakura-san, who's a renowned medic and probably one of the physically strongest people alive… Haha… Calling what I do admirable…" he smiled softly.

"Well, I think it is," she said with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"So why did you retire?" Naruto asked intrusively.

"Naruto! You can't just ask someone something like that!" Sakura protested.

"Why not?" he whined. "Because its rude, idiot," replied Sasuke, then taking a bite of his last dumpling.

"Ahh… Don't worry about it. That's a story for another time…" Sukea replied cooly. Sakura was intrigued, but didn't push further.

"Oh! I almost forgot! Me and Sasuke…uh… we have to meet with some people…and um… You're not allowed to come Sakura!" Naruto blurted out.

"Idiot. You're terrible at keeping secrets," Sasuke said in a disgruntled tone.

"Well… uh… we'll see you tomorrow Sakura…Sukea-san…" and the pair ran off, with Sasuke mumbling complaints about Naruto's bumbling attempts at secrecy.

Sukea's eyes widened slightly in curiosity, "What was that about?"

"My birthday is coming up in a couple days and my roommate Ino is throwing me a surprise party… They've been running off to plan it with Ino and whoever else is involved in that mess." Sakura replied.

"Doesn't sound like much of a surprise," Sukea said with a smile.

Sakura beamed back at him, "Well you see how well Naruto is at keeping secrets!" Sukea laughed.

"Say, I know we've really only known each other for a few days but I think we get along pretty well, don't you?" Sakura asked. Sukea nodded. "Would you maybe like to come to my surprise party? We could introduce you to some other new potential friends. Being a traveling photographer sounds like a pretty lonely lifestyle and it sounds like you can use some friends…"

"I think it may be illegal to invite people to your own surprise party. But I'd love to come," he replied.

Sakura smiled and wrote something down on the receipt she received for the dumplings, "This is my address. It starts at 7pm."

"You know the time when it starts? This really is a terrible surprise party," he said taking the piece of paper.

"Well, when Naruto comes up and asks you 'HEY! You don't have anything planned for Friday? At around 7pm maybe?' then you kinda get the gist," she said with a girlish giggle at the end.

On her way home Sakura felt strange. She felt butterflies in her stomach earlier that week when she found out Sasuke was having some involvement with her birthday party. But now the feeling returned after Sukea said yes to her invitation. Maybe she had always just been shy around men she thought were attractive.

And then a sudden interruption in the form of slamming into her former teacher shook her out of those thoughts.

"Kakashi-sensei!" she shrieked. He grabbed her by the shoulders to steady her after having almost fallen backwards.

"Sakura," he said curtly, "What are you doing out so late?"

"Its not that late, sensei. And I'm adult. Old enough to stay out late if I want to," she said, steadying her breath after the shock of running directly into him. "Well you almost knocked the air right out of me at the speed you were running. Hmm… Isn't your birthday coming up? I guess perhaps you are getting old, hm…?" he said with a smile beneath his mask. "Don't be rude, sensei! As of right now, I'm still not old enough to buy a beer," she scoffed. "Ahh, yes. 'The Springtime of Youth'," he said pondering the favorite phrase of his rival Guy. "Well, I better get going because it is too late for someone as young as me to be running around at night. I'll see you around, sensei!" and with that she ran off.

Kakashi watched her run off wondering with a heavy heart why his former student hadn't invited him to her so-called surprise birthday party.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a few days of unsuccessful plotting to see their former teacher's face. They tried to following him home and waiting to see if he ever took the mask off; he didn't. They tried enticing him with free food while Sukea waited out in the trees with his camera and without fail every shot was obscured. They were all beginning to suspect there was something along the lines of divine intervention preventing them form their goals.

"You, know… I dunno why Sakura's been so friendly with that Sukea guy. It was nice of him to try and help but he's just some guy!" Naruto said over the sound of the stranger's conversations blaring over the bar.

Sasuke shrugged, "Sakura's always been a little too friendly."

"Easy for you to say. She doesn't try to hurt you at least once a week," Naruto said.

"I think the trick is to not be a jackass on a regular basis," was Sasuke's reply.

"Yeah, whatever. Should we invite Kakashi-sensei to Sakura's party?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know. They don't seem all the close," said Sasuke after taking a long, slow sip of sake.

"But he came to my birthday party! He had a good time too!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke shrugged and said, "Everyone in the village comes to your birthday parties. Sakura is a bit more low-key."

Naruto shrugged and peered over Sasuke to look at the clock on the wall behind him. "Shit, we gotta go. We don't wanna be late."

* * *

Ino had taken Sakura out for dinner and drinks which was a genuine surprise for Sakura. She knew the party was waiting for them back home but Ino treating her to her favorite meal and her first legal drink was nice and unexpected. She tried not to drink too much knowing that her friends would be trying to ply her with drinks back home. Still, she left the restaurant tipsy with her even more drunken friend wrapping her arm around her shoulder as they walked to the apartment they shared.

Sakura braced herself for the surprise beyond the door. She turned the now unlocked doorknob slowly, peeking her head inside and then reaching for the light switch. When she flicked it on there was so much noise and color. Party favors going off loudly underscored only by the large group of people shouting "SURPRISE!" in unison.

There were streamers and balloons and party hats. It felt like a child's birthday party except where a banner might normally say "Happy Birthday" the banner hanging over the doorway between the living room and kitchen read "Happy Boozeday". 'Oh, right, because I'm 21 now,' she thought to herself, mentally rolling her eyes. The drinking laws in Konoha were very lax especially for shinobi. By the time they were 16 they could walk into a bar and order themselves a drink if they wanted to. She feigned surprise and went on to say hello to all her guests.

She found Sasuke in the kitchen pouring himself a drink. "What does the birthday girl want to drink?" he asked with a smirk that was almost sincere enough to be a smile. "You wanna make me a gin and tonic?" she asked leaning over the counter, letting her cleavage do most of the talking after having finally found a strapless push up bra that worked with her red strapless dress. Sasuke found it difficult it not take a peek as he fixed her up with a drink.

"Have you seen Sukea at all?" Sakura asked taking a sip of her drink.

"No. Was he supposed to be here?" Sasuke asked suspiciously.

"Well, I invited him… He's a nice guy," she said.

"You invited him to your surprise party?"

She shot Sasuke a look as if to say "Did you really think this was a surprise?" Sasuke smiled and nodded once as if to say, "I understand."

"I haven't seen him," he said, "But the party just started so maybe he's just running a little late."

It wasn't until an hour into the party when the doorbell rang. Ino answered the door even more drunk than she was before, "You must be Sukea! Sakura refused to tell me whether or not you were cute and I can see why… She probably didn't want me to steal you away!"

"Ah, um, thanks…" Sukea said uncomfortably, holding a bottle of wine. Ino stepped aside for him to come in. "Where is she?" he asked

"Hmm… I dunno… But we gotta find her soon we wanna start playing some fun birthday games," Ino replied mischievously.

He nodded and smiled and walked off into the the living room where he found Naruto and Sasuke getting into a heated chip eating competition. They stopped their rivalry briefly to say hello and gave him a cup of sake which Sukea gulped down quickly. It burned his throat but it calmed his nerves a bit.

However, Ino came back to hand him more drinks and introduce him to every single one of their friends at the party. Being a man who didn't drink often he was already beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol. His skin felt hot and his mouth was pulled into a smile almost consistently in a happy haze.

Sukea wandered upstairs and tried a few doors and found one unlocked. He found Sakura sitting on her bed looking at a small framed photo. "Sakura?" he called out after a soft knock. She jumped slightly and then sighed, "Oh Sukea-san… You're late!"

He smiled. "I usually am."

Sakura's face was flushed presumably from the alcohol she consumed. She patted the space on the bed next to her inviting him to take a seat. He did so and spoke.

"What are you doing up here all alone during your birthday party?"

"I was just getting a little overwhelmed down there," she said smiling.

"Hmm… What's that picture you're staring at?" he asked.

"Oh… Its our old team photo… I guess I was just feeling sort of nostalgic," she replied.

"I didn't see him downstairs… It would've been a good opportunity to get him drunk and see if he takes off the mask," he said.

Sakura frowned, "He wouldn't be here even if I invited him."

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

"We were never all that close… He saw himself in Sasuke… And he knew Naruto was special from the start… But I was just kind of there in the background," she said with a shrug.

"I'm sure he doesn't feel that way at all," he said.

Sakura smiled shyly, "What's with all these intrusive questions? I'm the birthday girl so don't I get to ask you one at least?"

Sukea smiled and nodded.

"Why did you retire from ANBU? You're so young and strong… And you'd definitely be making more money."

Sukea sighed, "I had a long series of personal tragedies that the missions one receives in ANBU only help to fuel. So I was given the opportunity to find a better fit and to begin healing." It felt like the first time he hadn't lied to her.

Sakura looked away, "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have asked…"

Sukea laughed, "No, its fine… Hm… How old do you think I am, Sakura?"

"I don't know… 25?" she guessed.

Sukea smiled, "That's correct!" Back at it again with the lies.

"Did you bring wine?" she asked peering over him to the bottle on the ground next to his feet.

"Oh, right! I did! Happy birthday," he said, presenting her with the bottle.

She smiled and got up to dig around a dresser drawer where she unveiled a corkscrew and quickly uncorked the bottle. "After the war I couldn't get to bed without a couple of sleeping pills and a cup of wine," she said shyly to explain the close proximity of the corkscrew to her bed and began drinking straight from the bottle. She handed it back to him and he began drinking from it as well.

"You know, I've always had a soft spot for artists… You probably met Sai downstairs. He's almost intolerable but I've been soft on him ever since I knew he was into drawing… He's still mostly intolerable…" she said

Sukea laughed and passed her the wine, "So… What does that make me then?"

Sakura's face became serious suddenly. She looked at him scrutinizingly. "I don't know…" She took a gulp of wine, "You're kind of mysterious. But not in a dark and brooding kind of way. And you know how to smile and you laugh… You're very kind too. Really handsome… I feel like we've known each other for years." She took another gulp and passed him the wine.

Sukea was starting to look a bit nervous. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Sakura…" he said trying to laugh it off, taking a sip to calm his nerves.

But Sakura's gaze was still intense. He passed her the bottle and she placed it on the end table next to her instead of taking another sip. And without breaking her gaze she inched closer to Sukea. He felt his face grow warmer but he couldn't tell if it was the alcohol or not. Sakura seemed to notice. She began playing with his scarf almost seductively, "Aren't you hot right now? Its been unusually warm this season, hasn't it?" she cooed while slowly untying his scarf.

Sukea's mouth went dry. "I-I wouldn't know…"

She put her legs up on the bed and pulled the two ends of Sukea's scarf moving him closer to her. She started running her hand up his down his chest, unbuttoning has jacket as she moved her hand down.

"I'm not usually like this…" she said speaking in a half whisper, "You're very approachable…"

"Thank you," he said dumbly, not fully understanding the situation at hand.

And then she pulled him down into a kiss. His thoughts were racing and he was beginning to sweat. He felt stiff against her so Sakura began working towards making him enjoy it a bit more. She teased his mouth open and let her tongue find its way in. The overstimulation she was feeling led her to moaning softly into his mouth.

"Sakura…" he said in a voice that was entirely different from his own but altogether still familiar. It was much deeper than his regular speaking voice and the sound of it made the girl beneath him go into a frenzy. She rolled her body against his, arching her back and rubbing her legs on either side of his own as they were spread out beneath him.

"I didn't expect you to be so sexy…" she admitted.

He pulled away from her and looked at her with an unreadable expression.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I can't do this… I should go…" he said while releasing himself from her grip.

"What did I do wrong?" she asked sadly.

"N-nothing! You're…um… You were great. Its just that I… Well, I'm not going to be in Konoha for much longer and… I don't want to lead you on and you're drunk and I don't…" The pair were now sitting upright on the bed. Sukea got up to leave but Sakura grabbed his arm.

"Its okay…" she said softly, rising up to her feet. "I just wanted to have a little fun, thats all… You're not leading me on and I'm not as drunk as you think," she said.

Perhaps he was the drunk one in the room. For suddenly he wasn't staring at Sakura, his former student. Instead this was Sakura, the girl he just started to get to know and a new friend in his life. A new friend with her recently mussed hair and matching pink lips that were still moist from the kiss just moments before. She was still close enough to him where he could feel her body heat and smell her perfume. And for a moment he forgot whose big green eyes those belonged to and something snapped.

He pushed Sakura against the wall to the right of her door and began kissing her furiously. Sakura went limp with lust, her head rolling back against the wall as his lips moved down her neck. "Sakura…" he moaned breathily into the crook of her neck, once again letting his voice slip. "I love the way you say my name," she said, heart pounding in anticipation as she removed his scarf and jacket for him. He was wearing a dark green fitted t-shirt that showed off his exceptional muscles. She could see the ANBU tattoo just peeking out from under the sleeve of the t-shirt. "I've always thought those ANBU tattoos were incredibly sexy," she said, lazily tracing it out with her finger. Sukea smirked, an expression that set Sakura's stomach on fire. "Oh, is that so?" he asked, lifting her up so that her legs were wrapped around him and her back was still against the wall to support her. She gasped, the opening of her mouth tempting Sukea to kiss it again. She broke the kiss briefly, "Oh god, Sukea…"

And then the trance he was in was broken. He snapped back to reality. No longer was he just having some strange out of body experience. Suddenly he was back in his place; he was Kakashi in disguise doing things he shouldn't be doing with the young girl he used to teach and she had no idea. He felt sick to his stomach having deceived her like this. He knew eventually they would all see his face, it was only a matter of time. And this fun little prank wouldn't be a fun little prank anymore.

The door bursted open in that moment.

Ino, Naruto, Sai, Tenten, and a few others who were ready to barge in looking for the birthday girl suddenly stopped in their tracks. "The birthday girl is getting LAID!" Ino shouted in typical drunk Ino fashion.

Sukea quickly grabbed his belongings. "I have to go…" he said and pushed his way through the crowd of people and brusquely left the party.

"What the hell, Ino!?" Sakura yelled. "Hey! If I had known you were doing it in here with some random cutie I would've left you alone for a while! Maybe you should put up one of those 'do not disturb' signs," she retorted.

She pushed her way past the group who had already started dissipating away awkwardly.

But Naruto stopped her as she walked through the kitchen.

"What was that about, Sakura?" he asked in a serious tone.

"What are you talking about?" she asked angrily.

"Hooking up with that guy. We barely know anything about him!" he said in a raised whisper, "And I thought you were dating Sasuke."

"'Dating Sasuke'?" she repeated incredulously.

"You are the only person who thinks that. He hasn't made a move on me since he first got back to Konoha! And it wasn't even a 'move'! He just smiled at me like a normal person over dinner once," she said, beginning to raise her voice.

"You think I want to wait around for someone who doesn't even seem all that interested in me? Well, I'm trying to move on. Or something! I don't know! But its none of your business who I do the things I do with!"

"It is my business when things effect my friends," he said.

"This isn't going to effect him at all. Nothing I do effects him. Its fine, I'm over it," she said, storming out of the kitchen.

* * *

The party was quickly coming to an end. Naruto approached Sasuke who was getting one last drink in before going home. "Sasuke, we have to talk," said Naruto. Sasuke gave a slight nod. "If you really want to be with Sakura you're probably going to have to do something about it quick."


End file.
